


Desert Song

by Chaotc_Univrse



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Cowboy Shiro, Gen, Minor Injuries, Outlaw Keith
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-06-30 19:18:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15758040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chaotc_Univrse/pseuds/Chaotc_Univrse
Summary: Old West AU. Outlaw Keith Kogane is used to running from the past, though he's learning some things run faster. When all seems lost for him, he comes across a somewhat dysfunctional and barely held together group of people, each trying to escape their own past before it swallows them whole.





	Desert Song

**Author's Note:**

> So I got super hyped for a certain game about redemption and cowboys and this happened...  
> I'm going to go ahead and apologise in advance.  
> I'm also planning for this to have multiple chapters so tags and warnings may be subject to change (as well as relationships lol)  
> Enjoy?

 Kogane patted his horse's neck, his hand shaking as blood ran down it. He ached. His shoulder and side were throbbing. The man hadn't dared look at them before he'd swung up on his horse and encouraged her into a run. The bullets had struck deep. His ears were ringing; from the gunshots or from blood loss he wasn't sure.

 What he was sure of was the fact the nearest town was far. Too far. His horse was fast. But he wondered if the bleeding was faster.

 "Come on Red!" Kogane growled and dug his heels in harder.

 The bay mare tossed her head and snorted though didn't argue, the pounding of her hooves growing louder as she sped up. Kogane pressed a hand to the wound at his side. It was all he could do to remain seated in his horse's saddle.

 He wasn't sure where they were. Consciousness was coming and going. Then too quickly, his horse veered to the right when he'd been expecting to go left. Kogane swore colorfully as he was flung from the saddle. He landed hard, the wind being knocked from him.

 Whether or not his horse kept running he was unsure, his eyes looking up at the sky. Night was drawing in, seeming to do so quicker than normal. His arm, his side, his chest were on fire. Breathing became an effort, as did keeping his eyes open.

 He fought to keep them open, but why he didn't know. It wouldn't save him. Blood was pooling steadily under him. He was in the middle of nowhere. Slowly, he let them close. The cool darkness that soon enveloped him was welcoming. He heard music. The soothing gentle kind. And he welcomed that too.

 The pain ebbed away, fading into nothing, as Kogane himself did the same.

 

* * *

 

 

 Shirogane whistled to himself as he rode along the perimeter of the ranch. His mare was calm beneath him. There was a gentle breeze rustling the trees, and the cowboy was grateful for it. He held his rifle idle at his side as his eyes scanned the area.

 The ranch he'd been working at for a couple of years now sat just over the brow of a nearby hill. It was a quiet spot, a main road running alongside it and the nearest town a handful of miles away. He'd made the trip possibly the most out of the other people he worked with. Save for his boss Alfor who he tended to make the trip with. And his daughter Allura.

 They were good people. Far better than most he'd come across previously. They paid honest wages for honest work and defended those that worked for them. Listened to them too. They were fair. Shirogane liked them.

 His patrol was nearly done. Technically, it hadn't been his to do, though being stuck slaving over cattle records for the better half of the day had left him eager to be out in the saddle. So much so that he'd decided to do four laps around the ranch instead of the usual three. He was making his way back now, letting his horse stretch her legs underneath him.

 He stopped dead as he caught movement on the horizon. His horse’s ears pricked up, searching for any sound of the perpetrator. They found it at the same time. A lone horse in full tack. It seemed to be grazing, though didn't stray far from where it was. Fearing the creature was injured or trapped, Shirogane gently urged his horse over.

 As he got closer, he saw an unmoving shape on the ground by the horse. As he got closer still he saw the shape had a form. A form of a man. A hat was on the ground beside him, dark hair falling down into his face and sticking to his forehead. His eyes were closed and his skin was pale.

 His shirt was stained. Both at the shoulder and the side. The bullet holes in the fabric were unmistakable. Shirogane crouched beside the unconscious man, his jaw clenching as he saw the dark blood on the ground around him.

 The unconscious man's face was familiar. Elements of it matched with the posters that were pinned up around the town. The hair was longer though, Shirogane noted, and his jaw a little sharper.

 The cowboy sighed as he stood, tucking the rifle into the saddlebag on his own horse. He carefully picked the man up and balanced him over the red horse's saddle. Taking the reins of both animals, he began leading them back to the ranch.

 

* * *

 

 

 Kogane didn't believe in God. He had no reason to. The only thing that made people do things were people themselves. They made their own choices, good or bad. God had nothing to do with it. And if one did, they had a lot of explaining to do.

 But when he found himself slowly regaining consciousness, he'd first struggled to find another explanation. His eyes were heavy and wouldn't open, his limbs not listening or not wanting to listen to the instructions he tried to give them. His ears, however, worked perfectly.

 "-responded so that's a good sign."

 The voice he heard was foreign to him. He was comforted by the fact that meant those he was running from hadn't been the same ones to find him.

 "Only time will tell I suppose."

 The second voice was thicker than the first, though still unknown.

 "You'd be correct."

 The voices were getting further away, growing more muffled as they did. There was a ringing in Kogane's ears as they drifted. The next voice he heard was a different one, not knowing how much time had passed, if any at all.

 "You sure he ain't dead?"

 Different, but not familiar. More high in pitch than the other two.

 "He's breathing, yeah I'm sure."

 Quieter than the first, as if trying not to wake him.

 "Just checking!"

 "Stop gawking you two. Ain't you got work to do?"

 A voice similar to the thicker voice spoke, and the new voices faded away.

 "He still not woken up?"

 He recognized the voice. The first voice he'd heard since being in this state. It sounded heavier, the concern evident.

 "Not that I've seen."

 The thicker voice. It sounded the same as it had before.

 "I'll come back tomorrow. If anything changes beforehand, you know where I am."

 They were gone again, and Kogane was left drifting. In and out. Here and not here. There and somewhere else. He was listening and he wasn't. And the next time he was, his limbs listened.

 Slowly, he opened his eyes. The bed he was on was hard underneath him, the blanket over him thin. His left arm ached. His side was on fire. Sunshine was pouring in from the window above his head, illuminating the room he was in. It was small, somewhat resembling a shed.

 As the drowsiness that plagued him faded, he became aware of a low mumbling in the room. He also noticed a figure standing with their back to him. Long white hair fell down their back in a way that obscured their figure. They were talking. It taking Kogane a moment to connect the mumbling to their voice.

 "-And I told him, I don't care if that is your horse, you ain't treating it right so you shouldn't have it. You can tell a lot about someone by the way they treat their horse. So anyway, that's how I knew you were likely worth saving, cause your horse is in fine condi- mister! How… How long have you been listening to me..?"

 Kogane seemed to freeze as the figure, whom he could now see was a woman, turned to look at him. Her eyes were a little wide and she was smiling awkwardly.

 He shook his head, "Not long... My horse is here..?"

 She nodded and her smile grew more genuine, "She is! A fine animal! I think she's been missing you. I'm Allura by the way."

 "She's definitely something," Kogane forced himself to sit, the burn in his side flaring with the movement, "Uhm... I'm Keith. Pleasure to meet you." He wasn't entirely sure why he'd given her his first name. He guessed it was less recognizable if his face hadn't already given him away. "Where am I?"

 "Not far from where we found you." The woman named Allura said. She eyed him curiously, "You gave us quite the scare. Few of our farmhands didn't think you'd make it."

 So he was on a farm. How many farmhands had seen him? Which one of them had brought him back in the first place? As if reading the questions on his face, Allura chuckled.

 "I'll introduce you to everyone. The fresh air will do you good. Come on now!"

 She didn't wait for him as she left the room. Keith huffed and swung his legs over the side of the bed. It was an effort. His feet were lead; listening, but not quite cooperating. He didn't know how he was supposed to walk.

 With care, he pulled his boots on, minding his side and his bad arm. He managed to grab his hat from the drawers on the other side of the room without standing, and was thankful for the size of the room. Good hand braced against the wall, he stood. His side protested and he pressed a hand to it, feeling the bandage that had been wrapped under his shirt.

 He’d barely made it outside the room when Allura tossed an apple at him, “Eat. You must be hungry.”

Now that she mentioned it, he was ravenous. He thanked her and took a large bite, wiping the juice off his mouth as he looked around at his surroundings. There were several other buildings similar to the one he was in. A few had doors open with people sitting outside while others were closed. In the center of the buildings was a smoldering campfire. Two people were sat around it, one cleaning a saddle that rested on their lap while the other chewed on an apple.

 A soft nicker at his side had Keith whirling. In front of the small building and beside the door was a hitching post. And tethered to it, was Red. Keith smiled and outstretched his hand to the mare who quickly nuzzled into it. Her breath was warm against his skin. He patted her side happily, talking quietly to the horse.

 Allura looked away from them and focused on doing up the several straps on the horse’s saddle. She couldn’t help but smile at the pure joy on the man’s face at being reunited with his horse. Once she’d done she looked to Keith.

 Finishing his apple and tossing it aside, he grasped hold of the saddle and pulled himself up into it. His side stung sharply with the movement, making him grit his teeth. He closed his eyes and slumped forward a little as he collected himself. Straightening after a moment he looked to Allura.

 She walked to a nearby post where an almost albino looking horse was hitched. Swinging up into the saddle she smiled at Keith before starting off at a walk. Keith nudged Red on and came up beside her. Allura lead them out from the small collection of buildings and to a wide main road that ran through the ranch. 

 Allura pointed to their left, “That there’s the main house. My dad built it before I was born.” 

 The house itself, Keith had to admit, was impressive. A sheltered porch ran along the ground sides of the building. The wood was white and washed, being bright in contrast to the beige surroundings. A cream coloured dog lay stretched out on the porch by the front door and Keith could see a garden at the side of the house that had green crops sprouting from the soil. 

 “Over there’s the general store, post comes in over there.” She pointed out two more buildings that sat beside the small huts Keith has first found himself among as they rode through the middle of the ranch.

 Opposite the house across the road was a large barn. Several people were walking in and out of the building, heads down and focusing on their work. Beside the barn sat a large corral with a number of cattle milling around inside it, a couple of people mending part of the fence.

 Across from the cattle pen sat another corral just as large. Around the outside of the corral were sheltered wooden stables and inside the pen were numerous horses. The animals were of all different colours, some running and playing while others grazed with their tails flicking behind them.

 Keith’s eyes drifted to where the road ran out away from the ranch. He wasn’t sure which way lead to town, or how long it would take for him to get there. He was sure however that he couldn’t stay here, at this place, with these people.

 “I wouldn’t advise it.”

 Keith looked to Allura to find her watching him. Her expression was unreadable, though her eyebrows knitted together a little.

 “You’re still healing for one,” she studied his face as he looked away, catching his eyes darken a second before he did, “And you haven’t thanked us for saving you.”

  He quickly looked back to her and went to defend himself, stopping as he saw the playful smile on Allura’s face.

 “I’m just teasing,” she waved him off lazily as she steered her horse towards the pen with the horses in, “You’ve only woken up.”

 Kogane halted, watching her go for a few moments before moving to catch up beside her, “I am thankful,” he said, looking at his reins as he spoke, “That you saved me. Even if I don’t exactly understand why.”

 “One of our workers found you actually,” Allura said, not bothering to check if he was following, “He brought you in. Once he had, we weren’t about to leave you to die. Even if you are a wanted man.”

 His blood chilled. So they did know. Now saving him made even less sense. The empty spot at his side where his gun normally hung seemed to be heavier now it was vacant. His hand drifted from the wound in his side to the spot his gun should be. 

 His face must have been easy to read. 

 “I’m not judging Mr. Kogane,” Allura said carefully, “You haven’t tried to run despite having ample opportunity. Shows you must care a little.”

 The injured man looked to her slowly, though she was already looking ahead.

 “This here’s the one you have to thank.” She nodded to the edge of a smaller corral off to the side, halting momentarily before continuing over.

 Three people were stood outside the corral, each of them watching the lone horse inside. The light coloured horse was saddled, a rider sat atop it. The horse’s ears were near flat against its head.

 The man stood in the middle of the trio smiled, “Oh he is so dead…” He had an orange bandanna tied around his head, keeping his hair back though it still managed to flop down in front of his eyes. His smile was wide as he watched.

 “You said it.” At his left stood the shortest of the three. Their hair was cut short and they were smiling as they climbed to stand on the bottom bar of the fence.

 “Easy now Lance,” the tallest of the three was the one Allura had been looking at when she’d spoke, “Go slow.” The man who had found Kogane. His visibly muscled arms were braced on the fence, one foot up on the lowest bar and his eyes on the man sat on the horse.

 The man on the horse, seemingly named Lance, patted the animal’s neck gently. He nodded at the taller man’s words before clicking and digging his heels into the horse’s sides. The moment he did so the horse brayed. It reared sharply, slamming the man forward into its neck. As if sensing his loss of balance the horse leapt forward. It jerked its head down before taking off at a gallop.   

 “Whoa, whoa, whoa!!” The man cried, gripping at the horse’s mane as it dashed forward before lurching hard to the left. 

 Kogane winced, hearing the loud thud as the man named Lance was thrown out of the saddle into the fence, and feeling it from past experience. The horse ran to the other end of the corral before halting, pawing hard at the ground in Lance’s direction. 

 The shorter one and the one with the bandanna laughed, while Kogane heard the tallest one sigh. 

 “I hope that ain’t the one you’re taking on the drive.” Allura said, a smile on her face. 

 Lance got to his feet and walked to the fence, the three others turning to look at the two who’d approached. 

 “I’ll win her over,” Lance said, smile bright and broad despite his recent collision with the ground, “I’m like a horse whisperer. 

 The short one snickered. 

 “Anyway,” Lance glared at them before turning his attention to Kogane, “I see you ain’t dead then.” 

 “Not last time I checked.” Kogane said. 

 “Came pretty close though.” 

 “I’m well aware.” 

 Allura smiled, “Mr. Kogane, this is Lance, one of our point riders. Hunk, the best cook this side of the border, and our wrangler Pidge. And this is Shiro, the most experienced rider here.” 

 She looked to each of them in turn; the one with the bandana, the one still stood on the fence, and finally to the taller dark haired man of the three. They nodded and smiled, the man named Shiro stepping forward and holding a hand up to Kogane. 

 “Good to see you up and about.” 

 “Good to be up and about,” Kogane shook his hand, returning his smile, “And call me Keith.” 

 Shiro nodded, a chuckle escaping his lips as Red head butted his side. He scratched the horse’s head, his smile growing as the animal rubbed against his hand. 

 “She likes you.” Keith said with slightly narrowed eyes.

 Shiro looked from the mare to her rider, “We had some time to get acquainted while you were… resting.” He looked to Allura beside him, “Coran was looking for you. He was rambling.”

 Allura gave a nod and smiled, “I’ll leave you to it.” She clicked her tongue, turning her horse and heading off at a gentle trot. 

 “Well,” Lance looked back to the horse that had thrown him and was now pacing angrily at the other end of the corral, “Third time lucky.” 

 He carefully started making his way towards the animal. Both Pidge and Hunk turned their attention to him, watching the man with smiles on their faces. 

 A smile tugged on Keith’s lips as he watched. The ranch was peaceful; the odd dog bark or horse bray forming background noise that coupled nicely with the faint rustling of trees. No shouting or gunshots. No falling apart buildings. No shattered glass or broken bottles littering the floor. 

 Keith winced a little, his side twanging as he adjusted in his saddle. He must have sucked in a breath as Shiro turned to look at him, his brows knitted together with concern. 

 “You alright?”

 “Yeah, I’m fine.” Keith said mainly to convince himself.

 It certainly didn’t convince Shiro. The taller man patted Red on the shoulder before he started walking, gesturing for Keith to follow. 

 “I suppose I should thank you,” Keith watched the man as they walked, “For not leaving me to bleed out on the side of the road.” 

 “If you did I’d say not to worry about it.” Shiro said, “Outlaw or not.” 

 “It doesn’t bother you?” 

 “Do let me know if you’re planning on shooting up my place of work.” He glanced up at Kogane, a smile on his face. 

 The outlaw couldn’t help but return the smile. Something about the man made him feel at ease. Though as he looked at him more, he couldn’t shake the feeling there was much more to him hidden under the smile. 

 They walked in a peaceful quiet, Shiro occasionally pointing out the odd person or building. He stopped when they reached the small outhouse Kogane had woken up in. The journey back had seemed to take longer, but Keith didn’t mind. 

 Shiro hitched Red to the post beside the building and kept a hand on her side as Keith started climbing down from the saddle. His feet hit the ground a moment sooner than he had expected and pain lanced up his side. He hissed and grabbed the saddle, his vision blurring and his world spinning. Not a moment later there was a hand on his back; steadying him, centering him.

 “Take your time,” Shiro’s voice was calming, “You’re still recovering, remember.” 

 Keith nodded, starting to undo the buckles on Red’s saddle before Shiro stopped him. 

 “I’ll do it. Go rest.” 

 The look he gave Keith was enough to stop him arguing with the man. Kogane patted Red, the horse nickering gently with what sounded like concern. Shiro watched the shorter man start towards the building. He stopped in the doorway, glancing back over his shoulder. 

 Shiro smiled, “Rest. Everything will still be here when you wake up.” 

 Keith gave a nod. He stood for a moment longer before heading into the room and letting the door close behind him. He hadn’t intended to fall asleep, yet when he laid on the bed it was a struggle to keep his eyes open. The pain in his side became almost a rhythmic throb. Sounds outside blurred until unconsciousness once again claimed Kogane.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> whoops that was waaaayy longer than I'd intended...  
> I apologise once again


End file.
